15752/Baking With The Avengers

Baking With The Avengers
Date of Scene:	30 August 2023
Location:	Avengers Mansion - Kitchen
Synopsis:	Cap and Lara are making a cake for Jonah's birthday, when Bruce Banner wanders into the kitchen. Mistakes are made.
Cast of Characters:	Steve Rogers, Lara Croft, Bruce Banner

---

Steve Rogers has posed:
All of the ingredients for the cake are set out on the counter of the Avengers kitchen. Steve is looking at the back of a box, reading the instructions between glances over at the ingredients. "Container of frosting. Powder all assembled already," he murmurs to himself. "It won't be long before you can just press a button and it comes out fully baked and decorated," he comments to himself, no doubt thinking of how in his day they had to gather and mix all of the ingredients by hand.

Steve picks up a print out of a page from the internet, with directions to make the cake with a specific appearance for the birthday of one of Lara's friends. "Well, ok, maybe there's still a lot to do," he comments to himself.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara stands not far from Steve, still holding her phone. She's dressed in a black tanktop and a pair of blue jeans that look quite new. She has a few accessories on, a smart watch and her typical pendant worn around her neck. She's eyeing her phone as Steve is quite insistent that a handmade cake is better than what she was doing...

For you see, Lara is on her phone shopping for pre-made cakes from various places around the city. "He's a Chef, Steve." She says once more, her normally soothing voice laced with a bit of emphasis on the implications there-in. "I'm not sure that I have the culinary prowess to piece together the intricacies of a cake that would meet his rigorous standards." The British woman explains anyway.

She shows a smirk to Steve before she spins the phone around to display some crazy cakes that can be purchased. "It says here they can be delivered within the hour..." She further says, her voice sounding clearly enough to note that she's unsure about all of this 'do it yourself' angle.

Leave it to Lara to try and throw money at the situation to fix it though!

Bruce Banner has posed:
Coming into the kitchen, Bruce has his eyes on a clipboard, pages flipped over the end as he reads. His hair is a tousled mop of crazy and his eyes are carrying some heavy baggage. He makes it through the door without walking into anything,"...and then the compunds will gel..." he mutters.

Mission coffee. Obstacle chair. He bumps the chair with his foot, alters his course enough to go around, and mutters,"Excuse me..."

His phone chimes and he frowns, pulling it from his pocket. Now he divides his time between the papers and the phone,"...no no no..." he grumbles and passes Steve and Lara without really seeing them either. Whatever he is doing it is holding his attention fully.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve looks from the printed out instructions, back to the ingredients, a lot of them having to do with frosting and decorations. "But see, the gift isn't the cake itself," Steve says as he sets down the box and turns to face the Englishwoman. "It'll be the memory of the cake. It'll be getting to recall, each year on his birthday, that time that Lara and her boyfriend tried to make him a cake. The chuckles he'll get out of recounting the story to the rest of your friends," Steve says.

He gestures over towards the eggs and other ingredients. "You wouldn't want to take that away from him, would you?" he asks, looking back to Lara and giving her a grin, true blue eyes lit up and warm as he regards her.

Steve glances away as another of the Avengers wanders into the kitchen. He opens his mouth to greet Bruce Banner, but pauses without speaking yet as he watches the physicist showing polite manners to the furniture. Lips pulling back in a bit of a larger grin, Steve says, "Good evening, Dr. Banner. Time for dinner?" he inquires as a way of drawing his attention to their presence.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara turns her phone back around to look at it, perhaps even longingly. She's never had much of a sweet tooth, herself, but she cannot deny the attractive design of these expensive cakes. She's about to respond to Steve when Bruce comes in like a truly frazzled doctor should. She knows him From SHIELD, though she hasn't seen him for some time.

"Doctor Banner." Lara mirrors Steve's greeting, though hers is delivered in a much more soft and feminine tone of course. She can see that he has a lot on his mind, and it causes her to exchange a lookt with Steve before she regards Bruce again.

"Is everything alright?" The Briton asks. "Anything we can do to help you?" Afterall, she knows what people say happens when Bruce Banner gets overly emotional...

Bruce Banner has posed:
Oh look. People. Bruce blinks and looks up as he realizes he is in the kitchen, almost to the coffee maker and there are others in the kitchen with him. He nods politely to them and offers,"Steve. Lara." It's a greeting. Sort of. He pushes a button on his phone and finally puts it away.

Resetting the papers on the clip board he moves to start a coffee,"Dinner would be wise." he replies to Steve,"Sleep probably moreso, but coffee for now."

His attention moves to Lara and he nods,"As good as can me expected I suppose. The experiment didn't work, but that's why you experiment. Science is about challenging the status quo and changing it, not just accepting things as they are. Sometimes things stay as they are."

That must have made sense...to somebody. At any rate, he is calm. No angst.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers would ask Bruce what it is that he's working on. But he realizes if he does it would probably fall on Lara to try to understand it and carry on the other side of the conversation. So instead he says of the coffee, "I think they got a new blend." They have one of those high end machines that will make single servings, and Steve has been caught using it before. But more often than not he still makes a pot the old fashioned way.

Turning to glance at the ingredients for the cake, and perhaps judging how long he'll be at it, Steve looks back to Lara. "Dinner would be wise," he agrees. "Now if you wanted to order that..." he says before trailing off and leaving the rest unsaid. Of course they have a staff who could also cook something. Though a few of the Avengers cook for themselves when they aren't in a rush.

"How have you been lately?" Steve asks Bruce as he gets out a bowl and begins pouring the cake mix in.

Lara Croft has posed:
"I'm sorry to hear that." Lara says to Bruce with a sincere expression accompanying her words. "I'd offer to help, but I imagine our areas of expertise are widely separated from one another." She states, showing a faint smirk then as she approaches where Steve has the cake mixes out. Her phone is set down upon the corner of the counter, her hands sort out her tanktop around her waist and she smirks next to Steve.

"What Jonah will remember, is if we do a poor job of it. Then he'll chide us for the remainder of our years." She jests back at the Captain before she offers him one of the starting ingredients.

"Dinner. Yes. Since we're occupying the kitchen, I'd imagine it is only fair to order enough food ffor anyone else who might stop in too..." She states, her phone once more reached for.

"I'll just do something simple, a few pizzas, I think..." She says as she brings up the local restaurants of the Upper East Side.

Another glance is given to Bruce though, and Lara asks. "You're not doing your science here in the mansion, are you, Doctor?" She asks him then. "Though I suppose you have a lab on-site... I haven't had a chance to really see what this lovely home has to offer."

Bruce Banner has posed:
There are so many things he does without any issue. It might be mildly amusing to see him struggle with the single cup coffee thing if it was terrifying. He doesn't get mad, just sighs and tries again,"A new blend sounds interesting." he admits and finally gets things lined up. He gets the machine in motion and stands up again,"I am well enough. Just busy. Trying to keep research going to so I don't get caught sneaking out as much."

To Lara he smiles and shrugs,"Physics, radiation, and medicine. Combined, most people give me dirty looks when I talk." he admits. Maybe a humble brag, maybe just the truth of things." He does pause at the mention of pizza and as if on cue his stomach grumbles. He hmms thoughtfully and then looks to Lara,"Most of the time yes. The Avengers and SHIELD alike don't care for the idea of me wandering around town a lot. I understand why, but it still gets a little stuffy even in a mansion this size."

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve begins stirring the eggs and milk into the powder. "Tell you what," he offers to Lara. "We make the cake. I fit doesn't end up being something that you feel happy giving to Jonah, then we can order one of those. And... I don't know, leave this one sitting out somewhere that Clint will see it. So it won't go to waste," he says with a slight grin.

The man's attention is given over to Bruce Banner then as he mentions his research. And also the issues he has with going about town. "Probably doesn't help being in the middle of New York. As opposed to somewhere that the attitudes aren't quite so... ah, brusque," Steve suggests. Easy enough to get into an argument on a New York street even when you aren't looking for one.

"Could always see about paying Hank a visit," Steve mentions, invoking the name of one Henry McCoy. "Rather peaceful up where he's staying." Apart from the students at least.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara shows a warm smile to Steve, and a slight shake of her head. "Oh, no, we're too ffar in now. He'll get to judge it no matter how it turns out. As you said, it is the thought that counts, right? We'll make sure he knows we put a lot of thought in to it." She states, grinning a little there at the end. Her eyes drift back over to Bruce.

"What kind of pizza would you like, Doctor?" She asks, her attention dropping back to her phone as she keyes in an order from a place a couple blocks over.

"What little I know of your situation, I imagine that is quite rough to be put under limitations like that." She adds as she sends the order off, and sets her phone back down again.

Bruce Banner has posed:
"It would be nice to be somewher a little less hectic yes." Banner agrees. Checking his coffee he asks,"Where is Dr. McCoy at now?" he asks curiously. He should probably know, but too many other things on his mind.

Considering the question about the pizza he admits,"I am not really sure. I tend to eat what is there, though I am not fond of black olives." He hmms,"I mean I know I like pepperoni." Helpful he isn't.

Consideration of the rest of what she says he admits,"The facilities were barely passable in Brazil, but for the most part it was quiet. I only really had one break with the other guy getting out, but it was impressive the damage he caused."

Steve Rogers has posed:
Lara would know that Steve will eat anything when it comes to pizza, though his tastes tend to run towards the meat lovers side than the vegetarian, or pineapple sides. Rather than using a mixer he's mixing it by hand. Though as quickly as he's whipping the batter it's getting about as thorough of a mixing as if he'd gone electric.

"He's at a school up in Westchester," Steve says. While the Avengers know about the X-men's base, Steve doesn't know that everyone at SHIELD does (hint: they don't) and so he doesn't elaborate further in front of Lara. It being the X-men's secret, not his, to share. Though Bruce has access to that information even if he's never been.

"Well, I know Tony likes having his labs in the basement even if he does most of his work in his..." Steve says, before making a gesture that seems to suggest something monstrous in size and finishing, "his tower. Is he keeping up the medical side of things there for you as well?"

Lara Croft has posed:
"Pepperoni, Meat-Splosion, and Hawaiian pizzas inbound. Hopefully that covers all the bases." Lara says, even using a baseball expression for Steve's benefit. She grins lightly at him as he stirs like a pro. Her eyes are cast then to Bruce, and she nods her head gently to what he states. "That's... a stress I cannot even imagine how to bare." She tells him of the concept of the Hulk causing damage and destruction outside of Banner's control.

"I hadn't really grasped the whole of just how strong your other half is, until I saw him in action at the Savage Lands conflicts. It was ... intimidating, to say the least." She states in a more somber tone of voice before she shows him a sympathetic expression.

"Hopefully pepperoni pizza can make up for some of your stress you've had in the lab tonight." She adds before moving around to stand on Steve's other side, to offfer some of her own help where needed. Steve has learned by now that Lara is not a great cook though. The basics, sure. Anything above spaghetti is really pushing it for Lara's abilities in the kitchen. She does make a mean Ramen mix though!

"Chocolate should do the trick if the pizza can't." She says to both of the men, smiling then from one to the other.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Listening to the options, Banner nods and frowns as his phone pings again. He checks it and listens while he reads,"Ahh, that school. I have heard it can be quiet and then not so much. That's any school really."

"Tony does like to wander while he works." Banner agrees. Once his coffee is done he takes if from the machine and nods to Lara,"That sounds like a good variety yes." Phone goes back to his pocket and he sips the coffee gingerly. He nods a little and sips more before adding,"Pepperoni tends to solve most things I think." It's almost a joke and he almost smiles. Almost. A touch of a smile and he agrees,"Chocolate is the great tranquilizer." he muses. Again, almost a joke.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers turns on the oven and gets out a pair of trio of pans for the three layers of the cake that will be separated by the chocolatey fudge layers of goodness in between. "The whole pizza thing was one of the changes that was unexpected," Steve comments as he begins pouring the batter into the cake pans. "Did it get popular after the war? GIs coming home who had experienced it Italy? It wasn't the big deal in my day that it is now. Pepperoni was something you mostly just saw in the Italian neighborhoods," he muses while he gets the cakes ready to go into the oven.

Steve reaches over, picking up the can of chocolate frosting and when Bruce is looking his way, tossing it over to him. "No one will notice if you want to sneak a taste," he says with a quick smile before returning his attention to the oven to set the timer for the cakes.

He leans back against a kitchen counter, the man's t-shirt snug about his arms and in the shoulders. "Bruce brings a lot to the team," Steve says to Lara after her comment about seeing the Hulk in action. "Both from the science side, and in other fashions. A valuable member of the Avengers."

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara makes sure to act as Steve's extra set of hands, to make sure he has everything he needs within arms reach. She smirks at some of what he says before nodding her head softly. "I believe pizza became popular in the United States at some point in the 1950s. Though I'm not entirely sure what motivated it. It still isn't as popular in Britain as it is here, but it certainly has its appealing worldwide now... I don't think I had it until my midteens, when I first came to New York. I was... spoiled immediately by it, due to some of the best in the world being found within this city." She states with a playfful grin.

Her eyes go between Bruce and Steve then, as the talk of the Avengers comes up, something else Lara didn't know a lot of until she moved here a few years ago. "Doctor... if you don't mind me asking," uh oh. "How do you manage to ... summon your other half for Avengers missions, and then, unsummon him when you want to return to your lovely self again?" She inquires, trying to tip toe through it carefully.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Something in the back of his mind blinks and Banner does as well. He looks at Lara and raises a brow,"You interacted with him? I don't know if I should admire you or seek to have you commited Lara." he tells her. Maybe that is a joke, but it doesn't sound like it.

"I'm not really sure about that. Pizza popular I mean." he admits,"It was always there for me and I never chased that."

He'll never play the outfield, but after bobbling the frosting a few times he gets it caught. He opens it and scoops a little out with the spoon he would stir his coffee with if he adds sugar or cream. He smiles a little at the taste, putting the lid back on and offering the frosting back. His aim is terrible and it might end up clipping Lara trying to toss it to Steve.

He is quiet for a moment when he considers the pizza facts Lara comes up with. He nods in agreement, mostly because he's clueless. When she asks about the Hulk, that does get his attention. A drink of coffee clears the frosting from his mouth and he tells her softly,"Stress, high anxiety, and especially anger. Things that raise the hear rate and activates adrenaline. It's been argued I'm always angry to that switch is easy. Eventually, the other guy stops and calms. Sometimes he sleeps. When things are no longer high stakes and there is no threat to me he tends to revert to me."

Steve Rogers has posed:
"Well, blood pudding never really caught on here either, so I guess both countries maybe have some differing tastes," Steve comments. The little quirk at the corner of his lips suggests this might be part of some occasional ribbing back and forth about English and American cuisine and other cultural aspects that goes on between the pair.

"Calming isn't always the easiest thing," Steve says in a gentle tone after Dr. Banner has given Lara the explanation. "Though I think we've largely avoided too serious of issues after a mission's need has passed," he comments of the doctor's transformations.

Lara Croft has posed:
"I did, actually," Lara responds. "I was on an expedition in the Savage Lands following the elimination of the Brood threat. This was after the Hulk vanished within the jungles... I ended up at a small village southwest of the SHIELD outpost where I discovered that the current man in charge of the village was... well... your friend. I was asked to meet with him, where we discussed him granting me permission to explore his recently claimed territory. He seemed reasonably accepting of my presence.. I even asked Steve---"

Lara looks over to Steve then, before back toward the Doctor...

That is when the large cup of icing flies through the air and loses its lid. It clips her shoulder, then rolls across her collar bone, splashing a wave of chocolate up in the air in front of the Duchess! Lara stiffens, and closes her eyes tightly. She stands there, motionless, covered on her face and torso by the globs of chocolate that are in the process of settling now all across their new home.

Lara slowly opens her eyes, her face splattered and her chin dripping with it.

She clears her throat and slowly raises a hand up to dab at her right eye that has drippings falling from her eyebrow.

Bruce Banner has posed:
He watches the frosting fly and the lid come off,"Oh no..." he mutters when he realizes he really is not an athlete. Turning to grab paper towel, he offers those to her, still having the good sense to not try to clean her himself.

"I'm sorry, sorry." he mutters. He sighs and admits,"Now you see the real reason I need to stay away from people."